Huge vistas as we rode away from the many charms of Durango.

It was tough to pry ourselves away from the many delights of Durango, but we did it.  Many miles of open plains, small towns, and windy days awaited us.  Our route south from Durango took us over a few small mountains, but mostly kept us at about 6,000′ and riding through agricultural ranch lands.  As we made it farther south we started to pass through rich colonial mining towns with centuries of history and hundreds of thousands of people.  Our time in this area has been highlighted by wonderful hosts that we met through luck or Warmshowers (a touring cyclists hospitality network).

The miles we’ve covered in this section.

A snapshot of the chaos of the typical Mexican town.

Our first few days out of Durango were a bit challenging mentally.  It rained for at least a bit for the first four days, and the wide open vistas just made us realize how far we had to ride between towns.  Luckily, there were decently sized towns every 50 to 60 miles where we could stay the night and resupply.  These towns were really neat for us to visit because they were so obviously off the tourist track.  We were able to find incredibly cheap hotels and ride through their streets looking for food and water.  Sure, everyone stared at us like we were crazy, but they were all friendly and, well, maybe we are a little crazy.

In the small agricultural town of Sain Alto we stayed in a completely unmarked hotel that was actually a one-bedroom apartment for $16.  We also reached another major milestone: 7000 miles!    Jason and I made celebratory beef stew for dinner, spending close to an hour riding through town searching for a carniceria (butcher-shop).

Jason got a haircut from this friendly fellow.

A momentarily quiet street.

It was a few more days of crippling headwinds and occasional thunderstorms before we came to our next big city: Zacatecas.  This city is a UNESCO world heritage site, and for good reason.  The rich silver mines in the area made many folks rich, and in turn they built opulent buildings and created an unforgettable city center.  We spent an afternoon here and then flew out of town on the main highway.

One of many many such opulent streets.

The aqueduct in Zacatecas.

We spend a lot of time on the busy roads in these big cities, and feel surprisingly safe doing so.  There are usually at least three lanes, and the cars seem to accept that we can take a whole lane for ourselves.  There was a distinct moment I (Daisy) remember from leaving Zacatecas.  We were riding downhill on a three-lane highway and I felt perfectly safe.  Since when does riding on the highway in a major Mexican city feel safe to me?  Well, since now I guess!

The only downside to Zacatecas was that we lost Tyler there, although not permanently.  He lost track of us and decided to stay in town for an extra day to buy a map, and we continued on to the next small town.  Tyler doesn’t have a phone, and we didn’t have any internet, so neither party knew what happened to the other.  It turned out just fine though, since we met again at our host’s house in the next major city of Aguascalientes (Hotwaters).

Our bikes in the main square of Aguascalientes with a left-over sculpture from Day of the Dead.

Us and our host in Aguascalients. Thanks MJ!

Wandering the streets of Zacatecas with MJ.

MJ, our host for the night, is serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in this lovely city.  He treated us to a downtown walking tour and introduced us to Cafe de Olla: Mexican Coffee that is sweetened and flavored with a variety of spices.  He also gifted us a list of important Mexican vocabulary and slang that he has gathered over the last months – very useful!

The next night we had some impromptu hosts in the form of Mexican Red Cross first responders.  We saw their ambulance depot and asked if there was a spot for us to camp there for the night.  After they had absorbed our story (and called the boss!) they welcomed us in and showered us with questions.  They encouraged us to visit the town center and the nearby county cemetery, which was surprisingly lovely and peaceful.

New Red Cross friends!

Our camp in the ambulance docks.

The cemetery in a small town.

Look carefully, and you see why the word for ‘bus’ here is the same as ‘truck’.

The very next day we rode into the roaring metropolis of Leon, which has over 2 million people living in the metropolitan area.  We stayed with Fernando and Frida, two fantastic young high school teachers.  They warmly welcomed us into the home, and the following day we commuted to work with Fernando and spoke with his chemistry class.  For an hour we were peppered with questions by excited and giggly high-schoolers that wanted to know everything about our trips, our studies, and our lives.  This was absolutely a highlight of our trip, and we felt so honored to be given the opportunity to meet so many young people!

Us and our hosts in Leon. Fernando and Frida were wonderful.

Talking with Fernando’s high school chemistry class.

Laura, our host in Guanajuato.

Fernando also arranged one more night with another host: his little sister.  We stayed with her for a night in the stunningly beautiful town of Guanajuato, another world heritage site that earns its status.  Laura is a first-year chemistry student at the university here, and we had a great time chatting with her in her home near the college.  After we left her house the next morning we didn’t make it too far before being completely charmed by this city.  It is a city built into a deep ravine that is filled with tiny alleys, charming plazas, street venders, stairs, and colorful houses.  We decided to spend two days here to rest, wander, get lost, and plan our next couple weeks in Mexico.  This country just continues to charm us, and we are looking forward to what the next mountain range will bring.

In a day or two we’ll put up a post filled with pictures of Guanajuato, this stunning city.  This post is already long enough!!  Of course though, there are many more photos to share.  Here are some of them:

A snapshot of life: getting tacos in the foreground while the ‘tourist police’ guard our bicycles in the background.

Another elaborate and massive church. Mexico’s colonial cities are jam-packed with them.

More fields, and this time a blue sky.

Daisy, proudly showing off her purchase of prickly pear fruit. Delicious!

This hotel was so cheap ($8) that they forgot to put the right size door in the frame. As a result, the mosquitoes snuck in and forced us to set up the tent on top of the bed!

Threatening sky, huge cacti, and horses. I think this photo is complete.

Our unmarked hotel that was actually an apartment complex.

A surprise met us on the side of a mountain in the form of beautiful rock folds revealed by the road’s cut-out.

We rode for days through neat fields like this with mountains in the background.

A field of sunflowers brightened a day otherwise filled with a frustrating headwind.

Another landmark: crossing the Tropic of Cancer, and going south this time!

The second-highest bridge on highway 40D.

We spent four days climbing from the seaside city of Mazatlan to the high elevation town of El Salto and finally to the big city of Durango in Mexico’s wild west. They have been the four most difficult, but most rewarding, days of the entire trip. The road we traveled is a newly opened toll road that passes through 63 tunnels and 115 bridges, including the highest bridge in North America. It also traverses a wealth of ecosystems and features stunning scenery around every bend. I will briefly describe our trip on this road, which includes a night camping in the jungle, another sleeping in the dorm rooms of emergency medical personnel, and a final wonderful night we spent with a host family.

Mazatlan is right on the ocean, and officially in the tropics. The weather is hot and humid, and we noticed immediately that we needed more water and that riding was more difficult. We asked about the availability of water and services on the toll road to Durango and all responses were negative. For this reason, we ended up carrying large amounts of water (about three gallons) up the mountain and into the hills.

Flowers everywhere at lower elevations.

The toll road had low traffic levels and a wide shoulder, making it perfect for cycling. Further, it was free for us! The guys at the toll booths would always come out of their little booths to direct us around the car sensors and send us on our way. Our first day on the road was through low foothills that teemed with plant and animal life. Flowers were everywhere and of every color. That night we stealth camped in this jungle and were amazed (and a little horrified) at the variety of insect life. We spotted far too many kinds of spiders as we made camp and ate dinner.

The mountains beckon from the nice, wide highway.

Our wild camp near the highway

The next day we hoped to be on the road early to avoid some of the crippling heat. It worked, mostly, and it certainly helped that we climbed into higher and cooler elevations as the day progressed. The road on this day was stupendous, and we were constantly amazed and pinching ourselves. Was this real?

Sunrise from our wild campsite

The tunnels and bridges led us ever higher into the mountains. We crossed the tropic of Cancer going north, and emerged from a tunnel almost 2 miles in length into a massive and beautiful valley. Later in the day we crossed over the Baluarte bridge, which is the highest suspension bridge in North America. It was an incredible experience to pedal over this feat of engineering.

The second-highest bridge on highway 40D.

The boy’s dorm at the medical center.

That night we got permission to camp outside one of the tunnels’ power stations. There are guards there 24 hours a day, so it was a safe spot. As we finished setting up camp a pick-up truck arrived carrying two toll road employees who were worried about us. They convinced us to take a ride from them to spend the night at the medical personnel dorms about 20km up the road. It didn’t take much, to be honest. They were so nice, and we had a restful night.

The toll road employees helping us load our stuff.

Gordita with Mexican spiced coffee.

The next day we rode back down to where we had gotten a ride and then climbed back up. Our legs were definitely starting to feel the strain of all the climbing! We stopped for a delicious lunch of gorditas (stuffed corn tortillas) at a roadside shack with a great view.

Restaurant with a view. 

One of many, many tunnels.

El Salto: a town based on logging and processing of pine trees.

That evening we headed into the industrial town of El Salto, where I don’t think any tourists ever go. We wanted to find a safe place to camp, and met a nice woman and her grandchild who helped us find one. Later on, she came back to check on us. Even though we had already paid for camping, she offered to host us for the night in her rancho nearby. We convinced the campground guy to return our money and we went with her to her house. On the way we rode through a small village where all the children ran out to meet us. We also had to ford a small river.

River fording en route to our host house.

Enoc and the chickens. There were over 100 chickens there!

Our wonderful hosts.

We spent the evening with our wonderful hosts Manuela, Maciel, and Abihu. They are mother, daughter, and son.  We were also delighted to play with Maciel’s son Enoc who is 1.5 years old. They warmly welcomed us to their home and shared their dinner and their evening with us telling stories and chatting. We camped outside their house, and it actually got cold that night. In the morning there was frost on the tent. I suppose that’s what we get for sleeping at nearly 9,000′  of elevation!

Our tent, complete with foraging chickens, in the morning

It was such an honor to be welcomed by this family, and we are very grateful for the kindness they showed us. Hopefully we can pass it on in the future.

Our final day on the toll road to Durango was full of ups and downs, hills, headwinds, and unexpected canyons. In short, it was exhausting. Beautiful, but exhausting. At the end of the ride the scenery opened up into high, flat plains dotted with cactus. We descended into the large colonial city of Durango victorious, having successfully ridden an incredible stretch of road.

As we neared Durango the scenery changed to Old West.

We made it!

Currently, we are spending a couple of rest days in Durango catching up on chores and seeing all the tourist sights. It is a good city to be a tourist in, and we are loving it. We will have to write another post soon just to describe all the adventures we are having here!